Ok, now I'm a dream board believer

I've always thought it was a good idea to write down my goals, and constantly remind myself what they were. Several years ago I heard of the concept of a dream board, and thought I should make one. Let me clarify that this doesn't replace prayer. It just helps to keep a visual on some of my goals.

My husband and I made it together but these days it's mostly a collage of my worldly wants like an iPad, new camera lenses, vacation spots, stuff like that. But in the beginning, also put things on there like a college diploma, paying off debt, and having babies.

Specifically, I have a photo of a twin stroller, half blue and half pink... The fraternal twins I hoped I'd have. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but that's ok.

I was cleaning up our room and I pulled out our dream board and noticed we have achieved a lot of our goals. But the thing that stood out the most to me was the picture of the little girl I stuck on the board. I looked at the photo, at my daughter, and back at the photo and I can totally see the resemblance they look like they could be sisters. Perhaps in another year or so they could look almost identical.

Who knew by sending images of the little girl I wanted some day she'd come out just the way I had pictured it?

By that same token, I guess my son, who was also glued on the board a few inches over, right above my sleep number bed, will look something like this:

Lil' J and Elmo: Tickled or Terrified?

We had a lazy day around the house Monday--My day off, after giving some visiting friends a tour of the city over the weekend. By the evening though we were getting a bit of cabin fever so I decided we should take a trip to the Goodwill outlet store.

I know I know... I wondered the same thing... Why in the world is there an outlet store for a thrift store? Well, every Goodwill store around here rotates their stock once a week. So once a week there will be an entire overhaul of stuff that wasn't sold. All of that stuff goes to the outlet stores, where everything is sold by the pound.

You have to dig and I mean DIG to find stuff that's piled in humongous bins, but there are lots of good finds to be found. I, however wasn't a huge fan of the digging. Right off the bat I looked for a toy to hand Lil' J to play with in the cart while we rode around. I'm not a huge fan of buying toys everywhere we go but they're a good distraction while I'm shopping, and before we got there I said she could play with toys and this girl remembers my promises.

I handed her an Elmo pull and spin toy thingy. The kind where you pull the lever and it spins around talking about the shape/number the arrow points on.

That entertained her for a bit, but then I showed her this Elmo doll and she freaked. She has a Tickle Me Elmo but it's not this animated. This one flaps his arms, moves his head, stands up, sits down, sneezes, dances, opens his mouth, blows kisses, and I don't even know what else. The only thing I didn't like about it was how heavy he was. She tried to hug him but quickly realized he wasn't soft and cuddly, so I just stood him next to her in the cart and she danced along as we strolled through the store.

At one point she got distracted and I hid the toy while we prepared to check out but I noticed her looking around in the cart and shrugging her shoulders asking "Elmo?" I felt so guilty that I went back and got him. GAH!

The good thing was out of everything I got: The Elmo, a big umbrella, some skirts and sweaters to up-cycle to toddler dresses and a bunch of thread, was all just $8.

I brought Elmo in her room at bedtime and she asked me to set him on the bed while I read our goodnight story. Since the bed wasn't a stable surface he kept falling over and hilarity ensued.

I just bought a new DSLR that has a video component but I haven't figured out how to work it yet, so I used my handy dandy iPhone to capture the scene on video. 


It took me a good while to convince her Elmo "went to bed" and he couldn't play anymore. I'm hoping to sneak him a away and give him a good bathing down before she plays with him again. Not sure how yet. Hopefully a gentle rub with some disinfectant wipes will do the trick.

Her First Teddy Bear

I grabbed the first bear I got her from her display shelf in her room. I took it down and pushed his hand and the sound of a heartbeat filled the room. Her heart beat. I remember the day I recorded it when I was very pregnant and eager to meet my little princess.

I picked this bear because it reminded me of the one I had when I was a little girl. I named him Teddy Jr. After my Teddy.

I left him naked thinking someday my little girl can pick out clothes for him--If she chooses. I sorta like the look of naked bears.

Though she has a growing slew of stuffed animals and baby dolls, it appears she has a sweet spot for Teddy Jr. I secretly hope she'll keep a special place in her heart for him a very long time, just as I did for mine.

And every time she pushes his hand to hear the thumping of it's heart, I'll smile and remember what that sound meant to me.

***

I was not compensated in any way for writing about Build a Bear, CouponCabin offered a giveaway for my readers and I thought I'd write about the cute one we already had. CouponCabin is helping to give the gift of Build a Bear with their online coupons. Here's one for $10 off $40. They've also graciously offered a $100 electronic gift card to one of you fabulous Baby Making Machine readers. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Good luck!


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The stylish toddler dress I stole: Mini Mod #15

I'm finally resurrecting Mini Mod for 2012.

I've been meaning to show you this dress forever! Have you heard of BabySteals (or KidSteals)? It's one of those sites where you sign up and get an email every day (or twice a day) with the deal of the day you get for like 40-50% off.

I've signed up for so many of those dang sites that I've just had to delete most of them before opening. I mustn't be tempted with cute swaddling blankets, birthing balls and toddler toys. I believe in good deals, but good deals can quickly become expensive if you're always buying them.

But one day, I saw a steal I couldn't resist.

Jelly The Pug. What the..? I know, I asked the same thing at first. But I opened the email anyway and behold, I saw some of the most darling dresses I had ever seen.

I don't think I've ever dropped $50 on a dress for Lil' J, but these were half off, so I could spend less than $30 and get the ruffled goodness before my eyes.

I caved, picked the one I thought was the cutest, and bought it (in 2T although she was only in 12 months at the time), just before all of the steals sold out.

It shipped and arrived super fast, but it didn't matter because it was so big, and totally swallowed her up. She didn't wear it out of the house for some time. But finally, one day, as I was sorting through her closet, I noticed this bright piece in the back and realized it wasn't so small anymore. I still had to tie the straps extra tight but she was able to wear it to church. And on a chiller day with leggings and a cardigan.

This is... Dare I say it... My favorite dress of hers right now. I've been studying it and trying to figure out how I could duplicate it with a double skirt, bias tape, and ruffles at the top. I searched Etsy for weeks and found a pattern that's almost identical from Create Kids Couture, except the straps are halter style. Of course I bought it (I think I'll send them some photos of Lil' J to use after I complete it).

I haven't had time to try it yet but now that the seasonal holidays are almost over (I don't see myself making St. Patrick's Day dresses, and will probably only make a couple Easter-themed t-shirt dresses) I'm looking forward to picking out fun fabrics in bright Spring colors and making dresses she can wear past the holidays. Initially I was sticking to the holiday-theme because it gave me a deadline. I only had X amount of time until Christmas and if I have a heap of Christmas fabric I needed to sew fast so she could wear it. Same with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentines Day.

Anyway, I'm in love with this dress, and excited to fill her closet with a few more like it, whether I'm getting another steal or making it myself.

As for the rest of her outfit. Leggings, shoes, and cardigan/ undershirt were all from Walmart. Sorry but you can't beat their Granimal deals. When it comes to solid tees and pants I love them, and they're great for t-shirt dresses. The shoes aren't my favorite. This girl has so many fabulous shoes, but most are soft-soled and those don't always fly so well when it's damp outside, or when she's running around at school.

Have ya posted pics of you cutie wearing something fab lately? Add your link to the list below so we can see!

<a href="http://babymakingmachine.blogspot.com/search/label/mini%20mod" target="_blank"><img alt="Mini Mod" src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww115/jborget/mini-mod-grab-button.png"/></a>

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Taking a dump

Yesterday evening I randomly started a Tumblr blog. So now I'm officially on every social media site known to man. Don't ask me why I started it.

Well, ok, you can ask me...

I know I already have too many blogs. Well, this one and my one on BabyCenter, and other ones I occasionally contribute to... But on all of those blogs, including this one, I rarely feel comfortable taking a brain dump and pushing my random and sometimes strange or disturbing thoughts out there. I should though. I mean here at least. Actually, I sorta feel like I'm cheating on this blog, starting that one. I tumbled (is that the term for that blog?) twice this afternoon trying to figure out if it was working and just laying random thoughts out on the page when I had a few moments to post from my phone.

Posts are too long for a tweet but not long enough for a dedicated blog post here. Plus no cute photos and that's what you're are really here for aren't you? Admit it!

Anyway, so I think that may be my new spot for brain dumping. I don't expect you to read both sites. In fact stay here, it's better, that one may be pretty lame. Although I've turned this post into a big turd itself, it somehow doesn't feel quite as lame as the ones I'm letting out over there and I'd hate for my boring crap for scare yall nice folk away.

Washing biracial (or curly) hair: My how-to

My daughter has extremely curly hair. People always comment on her hair, and when we're out people ask me where she gets her curly hair (me) and if it's naturally that way (No, I permed my 1-year-old's hair... Who are these people?). The most common question I get asked in emails from blog readers is how I manage Lil' J's curls. What can I say? It's a hot topic in our lives.
I have written the same response over and over again so I figured I should just write a blog post about my routine, that way I can link people here from now on.

First off, I don't wash her hair very often. Usually once a week to every 9-10 days. I use It's a Curl which I buy from Curlz.biz. I like it because it's organic, and gentle on her head. I haven't ever died or relaxed my hair and I want to be equally as cautious with hers.

They have a very active facebook page and when I was asking for a good product the directed me to their hair type page which matches the best products for different hair types and biracial hair tips. For kids under 2, this is the best because it's so gentle. I plan to keep using it after though. Make sure you check their fan page and retailmenot.com for deals. There's usually a coupon for 25% off. For February there's one using code "ilovecurls".

I bought the entire line (twice), It's a Curl Shampoo, Conditioner, Moisturizer and Leave in Conditioner. A long time ago I read a post by my friend Melissa and her hair washing routine for her little curly head. I couldn't find it for this post but I'm hoping she'll read this and share the link. I think our routines are pretty similar if I remember correctly.

For washing her hair and getting her curls "set" I use the shampoo and conditioner. I also use a big-tooth comb.

I've tried many variations of these steps and I think I've found what works best for her hair so hopefully this will help for many of you.

Before

1. I wet and wash her hair with the shampoo. I don't use a ton of shampoo, just one squirt. Again, I don't shampoo it often, maybe once a week or week and a half. A lot of shampoo tends to dry her hair out more so I try not to use a lot.-Just enough to clean her hair, and rinse. Make sure you get all the shampoo out, no bubbles left.

2. With conditioner I'm very generous. This is what will get the tangles out so I use a lot and literally cake it in.

3. Comb those curls. I start with the wider-tooth part of the comb and comb through it, then switch to the other side, where the teeth are closer together to get more tangles out. This combs the conditioner through the hair too. I hang tight closer to her scalp while tugging at the ends so she doesn't feel it. She's usually playing with her toys and not minding what I do.

4. Rinse out all the conditioner.

5. Comb again with the wide-tooth end.

6. Don't towel dry or blow dry. Let your curly head run around until it's dry. This is important because a towel will frizz it up, and if they go to sleep with it damp they'll wake up with their hair sticking out and squished in weird places.

Here's a morning where I let her go to bed a little too soon before her hair was totally dry.

Here's an afternoon where I washed her hair mid-day and let it dry outside while she was playing.

Between washing sometimes I"ll use her leave-in moisturizing and conditioning products to keep the friz down and the curls cute.
 
Hope this helps! Any other questions? Leave it in the comments and I'll get back to you! And if you have a similar post or tips feel free to leave a link in the comments, different things work for different people.

How to make a headband holder using oatmeal cans: What I'm Makin' Monday

As I've mentioned before, Lil' J literally has HUNDREDS of hair bows. She wears one almost every day, and has at least one that'll mach every outfit.

I made a hair bow holder using a picture frame, a headband tree, and now, I have another way to store her bows.

I'm thinking I'm going to incorporate some random act of kindness with all of these bows we have. She sometimes gets a comments on her bows from other moms while we're out. Maybe I'll keep a stash with me to share with little girls who notice Lil' 's bows. It'll help me de-stash the overabundance and do something nice at the same time.

If you're looking for a way to organize headbands you have all over, here's one way. It frees up some space by creating a place to put bows inside and around.

Remember how I got oatmeal cans from a woman off Freecycle? Well little did I know there are a couple of sizes of oatmeal cans. I had the small kind, but the large kind are best for this project.

I bought two cylinders for about $3 each, poured the oatmeal into tubs, and got to work.

Here's what you'll need:
Oatmeal can
Scrapbook paper (or fabric)
Modge Podge or glue
Sponge or paint brush
Scissors

Step 1: Measure the height of the cylinder and cut the excess paper off so it'll fit height wise.

Step 2: Spread modge podge or glue the canister.


Step 3: Stick the paper to it. If it doesn't fit all around (mine didn't) then cut a little extra paper to close the gap, and glue.

Step 4: Cut a circle piece of scrapbook paper to fit on the lid and glue in place.

Step 5: Wait for it to dry and add hair bows.

TADA!

Easy enough right? Some people use candle stick holders to act as a prettier base, and if I find some at a thrift store I may add that element.

Hope this helps someone else who's overflowing with bows. Have you made anything crafty or delicious lately?

Pros and Cons to having another baby [9 months from] NOW!

I always dreamed I'd have my children close in age. I wanted them to be between 18 months and 2-years apart. Well, time flew faster than I knew and that window of opportunity has long since passed. Now I'm looking at the 2.5 year age gap. That is the next perfect gap that's hardly obtainable, maybe, as in, if I get on it RIGHT NOW. But there are some things holding me back.

For one, I don't really want a winter baby. I LOVE having a summer baby, and being able to go outside, travel, swimming, and what not with my little one. Plus who wants a birthday squished together with Christmas?I hate cold weather (although it was 75 degrees here yesterday, so I guess it's not THAT cold here) and I worry we'd be couped up inside during my maternity leave.
Which leads me to another problem. When I went back to work with Lil' J, my husband was at home with her for her first year. Well, now he's working, and though I thought I'd want to quit my job by now, I don't. I love it, and I'm not ready to leave a career I see taking us places I never imagined before. But that means my sweet little #2 will have a caregiver other than myself or my husband when s/he is just 12 weeks old. That makes me sad. Granted, I LOVE the school Lil' J goes to. She won't be going there anymore after she's two but we'd get first dibs there as a sibling, and I couldn't picture my child attending someplace better. So we'll see. A nanny is also an option.

So my biggest reason for wanting to get this ball rolling is wanting them close in age. I want them to be friends, and I just picture having two daughters who are BFFs. That's my dream! But if I have a boy maybe it wouldn't matter anyway, and maybe I'll look back and think "what the heck was I rushing for?"

GAH! Decisions decisions!

***

For those of you who already have the decision made to have a baby and are pregnant or nursing, I have a treat! Seraphine has graciously offered to giveaway a $100 to their beautiful online maternity store. If I was pregnant I'd use it to buy this Taupe Knot Front Dress, and I hope whoever wins picks out something as cute!
And if you can't wait, you can use a gift code for 20% off " BMM20"

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Awkward... He Says/ She Says

On a routine trip to the dollar tree I grabbed a few pregnancy tests. This is normal. I like to have a stash for my paranoia/ obsession with taking them. Usually I hide them under the sink when I get home but my arms were full of baby stuff/ baby and bags so I forgot.

Later that evening my husband discovers my shopping bag...

He says: "Umm... Why did you buy pregnancy tests?"
She says: "Well, umm, cause, I mean..." I figure it's best to tell him the truth. "It's for my paranoia, just in case. I always buy them."
He says: "Paranoia? But why would you be paranoid? That would be like, impossible."
No, actually it wouldn't. Hello. Check out these statistics.
She says: "It's just a girl thing ok? But they don't expire a long time, I'll have them a while."

I really just wanted to say "it's not what you think" although I'm not sure what he was thinking. But whatever it was, it wasn't why I got them.

Oy, awkward!

Red Velvet Valentines Cream Cookies Recipe (seriously, I can't believe I pulled this off) and other Valentines stuff

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Ok, so remember those cookies I shared that I pinned from Pinterest awhile back? Actually they may have been whoopie pies or something like that. I was planning to make my own version by making small heart-shaped cupcakes then smuching them together with icing, but when I bought the red velvet cake and turned the box over I saw a recipe for cream cookies so I adapted it a bit (because my lack of ingredient and skill, not because I'm cool and know how to do that) and they turned out great!

So here's what I used:
1 Box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 Medium Egg
1 Spoonful of vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1 Can of cake frosting

Baking instructions:
1. Melt the butter in the microwave. I heated and mixed about 3 times 8 seconds each time.
2. Mix the egg, cake mix, vanilla and butter together. It's going to be SUPER SUPER sticky. Then use your hands and mix some more. Expect your hands to turn red and for it to be unbearably sticky.

3. Make it into a big ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. Overnight is ok too. I left it in there for about an hour and a half.

4. Take it out of the fridge, unwrap, and flatting it out a bit, use a cookie cutter to cut out heart-shapes (or circles, or whatever you want, but I did this for Valentines Day of course so I used hearts). Place the cut outs on a greased cookie sheet (or wax paper, but I don't have any).

5. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

6. Let cool, then spread icing on one half of the cookie and smush another half on top.

TADA!!

They are so yummy and were a hit at Lil' J's school. I'm honestly still shocked that I made these. Because I don't do so well in the kitchen. Lil' J on the other hand already LOVES to help. She helped me press the cookie cutter into the dough and she even handed one she made on her own to me while I was arranging them on the baking sheet (the one in the middle).

I was so behind I rushed and made her one last Valentines dress to make to school today. I used a thrifted shirt from Goodwill and some clearance fabric I had bought for the occasion. I didn't have time to make a cute sash, but I did made a new record and finished this (with Lil' J in my lap) in about 30 minutes flat. I've never put the pedal to the metal like that but we were in a hurry trying to make it to her school party.

It's not my favorite dress I've made for her. I wanted to add some shirring to the bodice but didn't have time. But it's ok for her just wearing it once. And the top is a 3T size so perhaps next year she can wear it as a tunic top.

I took her to her class party this afternoon and my husband got off work a few hours early so we went out for an early diner date at Olive Garden, and then went to the shooting range. It was my first time shooting a gun but I didn't do so bad.

He bought my my favorite--Chocolate covered strawberries, and there was a sweet red rose inside (of course reminding me of the episode of Once Upon a Time I just watched!!!).

So the day turned out to be a blast. Sadly I couldn't find heart shaped cake pans (ok well I finally found one at Target but wasn't willing to pay $30 for the stupid thing. Why does Target think they can charge so much for the same old stuff?) so I settled for the cookie cutters, but it worked out well.

I'm about to down some more strawberries then climb in to bed early. I hope you had a fantastic day. I'd love to hear about it. If you blogged it link me, or just share in the comments.
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Valentines t-shirt dress: What I'm Makin' Monday

Sorry my Makin’ Monday post is a little late this week. I was hoping to craft more last week but all I had time to make was this Valentines t-shirt dress. Here’s my t-shirt dress tutorial in case you want to make one too. I made the obi sash to match using a pattern from Dizzy LizzieBoutique. I made the matching rosette bow headband too with tulle and scrap fabric. There are lots of rosette tutorials but if you want I can do one for making something like this.

 

I used my ruffle foot for this dress, and it attached the ruffle while ruffling at the same time. Very cool and easy.  I’m making one more Valentines dress for her to wear to her party at school tomorrow, along with some heart-shaped cookie pies today I hope. Lil’ J is going to help me make the cookies. Surprisingly this girl loves to work in the kitchen!

Are you working on any crafts or cooking? I'm trying to get a feel for how many of my readers are domestically challenged like myself.